Making it in life

Many of us go through life with the same question in mind. What does it truly mean to make it in life? Let's talk about it this time on Wis's Thoughts. It's time for a virtual campfire sit down with Terry Weiss. Welcome to Weiss Thoughts. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the podcast. Welcome to Weis's Thoughts. I am Terry Weiss, your humbled host, and I am so glad that you decided to join me today for a virtual campfire sit down. I hope everyone out there is doing great, enjoying your summer months here in the United States, in the Western hemisphere and the eastern half of the United States from where the program cometh. No matter where or when you may be listening, I hope all is well in your world. And thank you so much for tuning in to our virtual campfires sit down lovingly called Wei's Thoughts. Before we get on under way, a couple things to take care of, and then we're going to get into the topic of today's show. First off, Hey, if you're enjoying the program, man, if you dig it, if you get some value out of it, if it makes you chuckle, think what have you? Won't you leave us a positive rating and review on your favorite podcast provider. I would truly appreciate it. It's easy enough to do. You can just go to your favorite podcast provider that you're listening on and rate the show. Or better yet, you can go to Purplepitstudios dot com and leave a review for this podcast Wys's thoughts or that's right. There's another way. I just I believe in choices my friends in life. Go to Weissthoughts dot com. Just make sure you're spelling my name right, wy C E. Weiss Thoughts dot com. You can leave a review there for us. We would appreciate it. And listen to every episode of this podcast. It's all available on the website at Weiss thoughts dot com. Got it good? Great? One other thing, if you want to tweet at me on X used to say tweeted on me on Twitter, but I don't know a lot of people still call it Twitter and I kind of fall into that too, But it's now x or it has been for a few years, but it's at Terry Weiss. I'm also on the Gram they call it the Instagram at Weiss Productions, and you can look for my YouTube channel. Just search for Weiss Productions on YouTube. It's that easy. And lastly, real quickly here. If you need voiceover work for your audiobook, your production of any type of audio or video, go to Weissproductions dot com. There we go. Okay, all that nonsense is out of the way. Let's get into the meat and potatoes of the of the podcast. On this episode of Voice Thoughts, shall we first thing we gotta do? You know what time it is? It's that time again. It's time for the wordsmith word of the episode. Yes it is. You can impress your friends, you can impress your family, and impress your neighbors and loved ones and pets, and learn new language and new words. And this week's wordsmith word of the episode is oh computer Ai voice abstruse, what one more time for me? Please? Ubstruse abstruse spelled a bs t r U s E. It's an adjective and it means difficult to understand. It's obscure. Let's hear it in a few example sentences. The album's first single was critically acclaimed despite its abstruse lyrics. All right, how about another one? The movie's ending was far too abstruse for the general public to appreciate. All right, one more, the. Math tutor made even the most abstruse problem seem simple. All right, And that's this episode's Wordsmith word of the episode. Abstruse spelled abs t r use abstruse, and it means difficult to understand. It's obscure. So there you go. That's this week's word Smith word of the episode. Now you can impress your friends, impress your family, and let everyone know, Hey, look at the big brain on me. Right, isn't that wonderful? Anyhow? Welcome one and all to the program. And you know this, this episode's word Smith word of the episode actually kind of ties in to the episode on the podcast today, And you say, well, why, Terry, what do you mean? How does it tie in? Well? As teased in the opener, You know, today we're huddling our little closer, throwing on a big log on our virtual campfire, and warming up to the question that's probably crossed all our minds at some point, what does it really mean to make it in life? What does it really mean to make it in life? Do you know? I mean? For so long we've been fed a very specific, a very shiny picture of success. The flashy car and the driveway, the seven figure salary, the corner office in the city, view the perfect vacation photos on Instagram and Facebook and x. It's a highlight reel, a curated montage of what we're told the finish line should look like. We look at these things and think, yeah, that's what I'm aiming for. When I get all that, I will have made it. Think about it. But let's be honest with ourselves, Okay, for just a moment. Those external metrics are often just the peak of the mountain, not the entire journey. What if making it isn't a destination at all. What if it's more like a compass that guides our journey. Think about that, and the true reward is the journey itself, the climb, the view, the lessons learned along the way. What do you think of that? I mean, for so many of us, it starts with a clear vision. Maybe it's a dream of building a successful business, or writing a best selling book or raising a family. But here's the thing I've noticed. When we achieve those external goals, all right, we often find that they're just milestones. They're not the whole story. The businesses x ass and but are you really happy doing work every day the book is published? But do you feel a sense of purpose beyond the bestseller list? The family's beautiful? What are you present and truly connected with them? You know, the pursuit of having it all can sometimes leave us feeling hollow if we're not intentional about what all really means. I mean, think about this, Let's go, let's take it a step further. Let's go beyond the trophies and the titles. Let's do that. I mean, true fulfillment, it seems, is less about all the things we acquire and more about the person we become during that process. At least that's what I think. It's about finding work that truly ignites our passion, not just pays the bills. I mean, let's face it, anybody can go to a job. I've had many jobs in my life. But when you truly do something that inspires you and that you're passionate about. You know, there's that old saying, if you truly love and are passionate about what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. It's true. It's about building or relationships that support and challenge you. I mean, think about that it's really truly about building relationships that support and challenge you, not just fill up your social calendar. It's about contributing something meaningful to the world around you, no matter how small it may feel. Think about it this way. The feeling of a job well done, of helping a friend through a tough time, of creating something with your own two hands. Those are the moments that you feel like you've truly made it. At least it has been in my experience. There are internal victories that no one no one can ever take away from you. So maybe making it is simply waking up each day with a sense of purpose, regardless of the bank balance. M It's about recognizing the small wins, the moments of real genuine connection, the challenges that you and I overcome with resilience, and the peace that we find in just being present. It's the feeling of knowing that your life has depth and meaning beyond the surface level achievements. Think about that. Let's look at redefining the finish line and maybe a new type of compass. Let's redefine the term together, shall we Let's create a new compass for success. Instead of a trophy or a title, what if making it means having the freedom to pursue your passions, not just your paycheck. How about that? I mean, think about this. If somebody were to ask you, or maybe you have asked people, what do you really want to do in life? If you could, if you could do the thing that you really want to do in life and get paid for it, what would it be. This isn't about being rich. It's about having the ability to say no to things that drain you and yes to the things that fill you up. Even if it's a quiet moment with a good book or a weekend spent learning a new skill. It's all about having choices. There's another thought, being surrounded by people who uplift and inspire you. This is about quality over quantity. Everybody, or a lot of people think that being socially acceptable is having hundreds, if not thousands, of followers on social media. Everyone wants to be an influencer, or it seems that way. Well, it's about having a handful of people in your corner who celebrate your victories and stand by you during your struggles. People can be fleeting, my friends. We all know this. It's the feeling of belonging to a tribe, a community where you are seen and valued for who you are, not just what you can do for others, but who you really are. There's another thought, feeling a genuine sense of peace and contentment with where you are right now while still striving for growth. How about that now, It's not about complacency, okay, It's about finding joy in the present moment without constantly chasing the next big thing. It's about having the wisdom and the self awareness to appreciate the view from the current leg of our journeys even as we plan our next steps. I mean, ultimately, making it in life is a deeply personal definition for all of us. It's not about ticking off boxes on a social checklist. It's about creating a life that feels rich, authentic, and purposeful for you and for me. It's about building a life where we don't need to take a vacation from it. It's about finding our own rhythm and dancing to it even if no one else is listening. And with that, my friends, I'll leave you to ponder this around our virtual campfire today as we get ready to close out this episode of White's Thoughts. What does making it truly mean to you think about it this week and let your new compass guide you. Hey, thanks for listening to the program today. I truly appreciate each and every one of you out there, and remember to see a change in the world, you have to be the change in the world you want to see. It all starts with you, a person looking back at you in the mirror every morning. Remember to be kind to yourself, be kind to others. If you want to tweet at me on Twitter, it's at Terry Weiss. Stop by the website Weis's thoughts dot com just to make sure you spell my name right. Wysee Wiss thoughts dot com, and hey, leave us a positive rating and review on your favorite podcast provider. Won't you tell your friends, tell your family, tell your pets about wife's thoughts from dear, and I look forward to gathering yet again around the virtual campfire with you real soon. Take care.